


The Tragic Romance of Mairon - Mythic Version

by Sid Kemp (SidKemp)



Series: Tragic Romance of Mairon (2 versions) [1]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Courtly Love, F/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidKemp/pseuds/Sid%20Kemp
Summary: How the greatest of the Maiar fell under the spell of Melkor





	The Tragic Romance of Mairon - Mythic Version

**Author's Note:**

> If you are unfamiliar with the Valar and Maiar, particularly Yavanna, Mairon/Sauron, and Aule, please see the endnotes before reading.

Mairon was a faithful student of Aule, and learned all he could. But once the Smith came to Arda, he became reclusive. He told Mairon, quite brusquely, to build his own smithy. Mairon did, and Mairon also began to wander. He wandered the Earth. He studied the magic of gems and metals. He forged hidden fortresses of stone. Not only did his body wander, but also his eye. How could it not? Aule was married to the most beautiful of all the Valar, as Mairon saw it, to the powerful and precious Yavannah. Yes, Varda was a light and beauty beyond all measure, but to Mairon, who loved the Earth, the earthy Yavannah who made plants and trees, loved forests and animals, was even more beautiful.

And Yavannah was sad. Her husband worked alone at his forge under a hidden mountain. Possessed of a dream, he forged the Fathers of the Dwarves in secret. Seeming ages went by, and Yavannah did not see her husband. And Mairon was there, beautiful Mairon, wooing her.

He was careful, of course. It was a courtly love. It would echo through the ages all the way down to Lancelot and Guinevere, to Dante and Beatrice. He loved her and was inspired by love, and knew he could not possess her. For a while. And then he in his heart desired her, but he told himself he could not possess her. So a dalliance continued. Yavannah remained faithful and chaste. But Mairon’s dreams, desires, and desperation grew darker. Finally, he confessed his heart to her and pleaded with her to leave the inattentive Aule who had abandoned her and begin anew with himself, Mairon, who truly loved her.

Yavannah did not need to travel to the halls of Mandos and consult Namo to know this could never be. She could see her marriage bond as clearly as she could see Aule himself. The eternal was quite visible to her, and the bond of marriage is eternal. Thus she could not imagine that Mairon could not see the obvious.

But back in the times of the Song of the Ainur, Mairon had been secretly drawn to the strident chords of Melkor’s music. He wove them subtly into his own playing so that none noticed. But is so doing, he lost his true ear and his true eye. And now Yavannah was laughing at him, saying surely he knew that they could never be. She could not understand him. He could not understand her. Finally, in her frustration, she said, “If you cannot see that what you desire is impossible, speak to Namo the Judge. He shall set forth the rightness of the matter.”

Mairon fled in shame, but he did not go to Mandos. He had lost his heart, and all he thought of was power. So he sought out Melkor and bared his heart to him, thinking that only Melkor had the power to bewitch Yavannah, to make her forget her oath of marriage to Aule, to love Mairon, only Mairon.

Melkor, of course, had no interest in any such thing. But he was willing to lie. So he feigned pity on Mairon’s broken heart and wove a spell upon Mairon, one which he said would make Yavannah love him. And indeed, it was a spell of love and devotion. But all it did was bind Mairon’s heart to Melkor, cruel servant of a cruel lord. And thus both slipped further into Darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> All the background you need for this story is in The Silmarillion, most of it in a short section at the beginning called "The Valaquenta," that is the account of the Valar, the great angelic, godlike beings who serve Eru the One Creator and who created the world in which we live. Or, if you prefer, you can type the name of each character into the fan encylopedia The One Wiki To Rule Them All (https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page).
> 
> Yavannah Kelementari created trees and all living plants, and is the wife of Aule, the Smith, who made the mountains of the world and also the Dwarves.
> 
> Namo is the proper name of the one called Mandos. Mandos is actually his home, and the Ring of Mandos there is the place of judgment among the Valar.
> 
> Melkor was the greatest of the Valar, but he fell into darkness, wishing to take the role of the One Creator, rather than serve. After that, he was named Morgoth.
> 
> The fifteen Valar are served by countless Maiar, lesser angels, but each still of great power. Greatest among these is one who was once called Mairon, "The Admirable," who fell and was later called Sauron, "The Abhorred," chief lieutenant of fallen Morgoth. Sauron was also the chief antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, as, after the fall of Morgoth, Sauron sought to rule the world in darkness forever, enslaving the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
> 
> Why did Sauron fall into darkness? Might it have been a tragic matter of the heart?


End file.
